So much is happening at Trinity Church these days! It's a great time for an experienced Communications professional to join Trinity's staff as our next Communications Director. This is a part-time position (25 hours per week). A detailed job description can be found at http://www.trinityprinceton.org/employment. Please forward it to any people you know who might be interested. Candidates should send their resume to communicationsearch@trinityprinceton.org. The search committee for this position, which consists of Tom Scott, Nithila Peter, Annie Bryson, Emily Pruszinski and Phil Unetic, will begin reviewing resumes in several weeks.
It Is Not Good For Us To Be Alone
In response to my recent e-pistle article titled "The Great Dechurching," two parishioners shared with me an insightful piece by Nicholas Kristoff that addresses the pervasive loneliness epidemic not only in America but across the globe.
Loneliness crushes the soul, but researchers are finding it does far more damage than that. It is linked to strokes, heart disease, dementia, inflammation, and suicide; it breaks the heart literally as well as figuratively.
Loneliness is as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and more lethal than consuming six alcoholic drinks a day, according to the surgeon general of the United States, Dr. Vivek Murthy. Loneliness is more dangerous for health than obesity, he says — and, alas, we have been growing more lonely. A majority of Americans now report experiencing loneliness, based on a widely used scale that asks questions such as whether people lack companionship or feel left out.
Our innate need for one another is woven into the very fabric of creation. In Genesis 2, God proclaimed that it's not good for us to be alone. We are designed to live in community, fostering connections with both the divine and our fellow human beings; it's literally in our DNA. Yet, it seems increasingly challenging for people to discover genuine community and meaningful connections.
Early on, some thought that Facebook and other social media would bind us together, but many experts now think these platforms have instead made us more lonely. People look at Instagram feeds and conclude that everyone else is having fun. Meanwhile, time with screens substitutes for time with human beings. All this may help account for the crisis in mental health of young people over the last dozen years. We often think that older people are most lonely, but polls find that young adults are twice as likely as seniors to report loneliness.
The good news is that we possess the ultimate Good News—the Good News of Jesus Christ. Our faith calls us to be part of a community, for we do not lead our Christian lives in isolation but always in relationship with others. In these times, the church is perfectly positioned to offer a remedy to the growing pandemic of isolation and loneliness. We can provide a sense of community and belonging! One of the individuals who shared the article with me rightly stated, "Recently, a Trinity member told me that they come to Trinity for the 'Community,' and the religious services are an added bonus. If I am honest with myself, I feel that way too. I think we should invite people to join the 'Trinity Community,' not just the church services. We should 'Invite a friend to join in our Community.'"
How true! We aren't merely inviting people to attend a 'service'; we're inviting them to become part of a community, a family. We're inviting them to share in our lives as we wholeheartedly embrace God's love, as revealed to us through Christ. I hope you share my enthusiasm for inviting people to be a cherished part of our Trinity family! It is not good for us to be alone!
Peace and Blessings,
Paul
Blessing of the Stuffed Animals!
Additionally, there will be a blessing of the stuffed animals this Sunday during the 10:30am service, so bring your fuzzy, inanimate friends with you!
Blessing of the Animals
This Sunday during the 10:30am service, we will hold a blessing of the stuffed animals, so bring your fuzzy, inanimate friends with you.
At 1pm, we will hold our annual blessing of the animals. We look forward to seeing you there.
Pipes at One: Meg Harper Performance
On October 17, at 1pm, our very own Margaret Harper has an organ recital at Trinity Wall Street in St. Paul’s Chapel as part of their series Pipes at One. She has been hailed by the Diapason magazine for her “elegant performance” and by the Boston Musical Intelligencer for “outstandingly lively, punchy” playing. In response to one of her international performances, Croatian newspaper Glas Slavonije wrote, “The freezing cold of a January evening dominated the cathedral in Djakovo, but it could not diminish the richness and warmth of sound brought out of the cathedral organ by Margaret Harper.” This will be a recital you do not want to miss.